Remebering Death's Infamy
by Lucicelo
Summary: Ruka and Tatsumi share secrets behind closed doors. Guardian!Ruka part 12.


**A/N: A flashback sort of oneshot where Ruka remembers her _father_. Considering the fact that I peppered Tatsumi X Ruka throughout this series, it is a bit more apparent in this fic.**

**-Lucicelo**

* * *

Sitting across from Tatsumi, Ruka slurped down her own cup of tea. She wore a colorful flower patterned maxi dress that she tailored to her short frame and her hair was back into a messy bun. Across from her, Tatsumi wore a navy blue yukata, standard attire for when he walked through his home. The first time she saw Tatsumi in his home, she had to take a second look at his different outfit. She grew used to his brown suit and striped blue tie combo that seeing him in a yukata made her blush.

Tatsumi suited a _yukata_ quite well.

Tatsumi _also_ looked great in a _suit and tie_.

As they settled in the entertaining room, Ruka peered out of the open sliding doors. Tatsumi kept a minimal, but beautiful garden. From the cleanliness, Tatsumi made sure to tend to his garden on a weekly basis. The sparse garden was different from her and Asato's garden. A wilderness in the making. Their home flourished with plants, most of them overtaking the side of their little cottage. She quite enjoyed having life blooming throughout the year.

"When shall I expect Tsuzuki to interrupt us?"

"Oh, Asato will be burst through the door later this afternoon." Ruka mused as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Hisoka-san managed to distract him through taking him to some aquarium that opened up in Okinawa. Plus, this gave them a chance to visit an old friend of theirs."

Tatsumi said. "Ah...Okinawa." He almost burst in laughter over how he ruined Tsuzuki's plans to get cooking tips out of him. To think, Tsuzuki spent a partnership with him and still didn't understand his mannerisms. "At least, we can expect them to come back with a semblance of a tan."

Ruka chuckled. "Maybe, Asato, but poor Hisoka-san would _burn_ like a lobster."

Tatsumi kept his composure before the mental image of a sunburned Hisoka Kurosaki made him spew out his mouthful of tea. His control lasted a brief moment before he coughed and swallowed the liquid before he wet his yukata. Ruka looked toward him, covering her mouth to hide her goofy smile. He took out a handkerchief from his yukata sleeve and dabbed his mouth dry.

To his relief, Ruka didn't comment about his fumble and kept on sipping her tea.

* * *

As the afternoon dragged on, Ruka and Tatsumi ventured through different topics outside of work. There were times when the subject went toward work, but for the most art, they exchanged a limited amount of gossip. Tatsumi didn't enjoy talking about gossip, but Ruka tended to find out interesting news from her different sources which garnered his interest. After years of acquaintanceship that turned into friendship, they ended up having a variety of subjects to use whenever an awkward silence became apparent to either one of them.

Once the topic ventured into family, Tatsumi spoke about his own experiences. He explained his mother's noble lineage and her struggles adjusting to her new lifestyle. Ruka listened with rapt attention, adding commentary while she sipped her tea or nibbled on a pastry.

When Tatsumi finished, Ruka added in her own parents origins. "My mother was a Shinto priestess in training. She quit her training before she finished and left the village to run off with my father to Edo. My father was a traveling merchant. Mother always said that father was busy, but managed to keep us stable with flowing income."

Tatsumi peered up from his cup of tea, surprised at her declaration. From the information that Wakaba informed the Summons Section, there were tiers of _different_ priestesses. Priestesses from the Izumo region tended to pass the role down from mother to daughter, meaning they engaged in sex while keeping their purity. The Shinto priestess kept a vow of _chastity_ of every facet of their lives, giving up their lives for their shrine.

"Of all the occupations, I didn't expect to hear that your mother was a priestess." Tatsumi said. "And to leave her training for marriage? Your father must have spiked her interest enough to sway her beliefs."

Ruka shrugged her shoulders. "My mother wasn't married to my father, Tatsumi-san. Asato and I never had a reason to feel shame that our parents were not married. My mother lied enough about father that no one questioned her marriage claims. Having seen the treatment of bastards for myself, I taught Asato to _never_ reveal this secret while we were alive."

"Ah." Tatsumi sipped his tea to cover any awkward words coming from his mouth. "Understandable."

"In a way, I wished to become a priestess. No urging to marry a man at fourteen or even younger, never having to bear a child, and focusing my life in other prospects. Not to say I didn't have a man I glanced at from time to time, but by the time I grew older, I became Asato's pseudo mother. A man wouldn't want another mouth to feed." She sipped her tea. "Many of these men were tactless in saying so in front of Asato. Of course, I kicked them out of my home."

Tatsumi failed to keep in a snort. "I assume you used a weapon to scare them off?"

"You would be right!" Ruka tittered. "A good panel of wood managed to make them lose interest in me. A violent woman wasn't a _suitable_ wife. Ridiculous. I'm sure my _skills_ don't put you off, Seiichiro-san?"

Tatsumi smiled light. "Of course not. In fact, your prowess is quite _admirable_, Ruka-san. A powerhouse in a such a _tiny_ frame. You are astonishing in how you handle rambunctious people and difficult cases. It's quite a sight."

"You flatterer." Ruka snickered. "Watch it, this little woman can kick your butt."

"I never said you couldn't." Tatsumi moved closer to her and caressed her hand. "I quite remember you tossing me to the ground during the extra training my master requested of me."

Ruka's cheeks warmed from the contact. "Your master was quite a taskmaster if I remember correctly. Not surprising since he despised laziness in his subordinates and apprentices. He wouldn't accept you until you managed to nick me with your shadow." She peered down at Tatsumi's tame shadow. "It wasn't as cold as I thought it would be."

Tatsumi averted his eyes in a stint of shyness. Anyone who ever encountered his shadows always commented on the _iciness_ and_ bitter cold_. Yet, Ruka saw a positive in his notable and well known weapon.

Settling beside her, he didn't remove his fingers from on top of her hand. All of a sudden, she moved her hand from under his fingers and encased his hand in a light grip. Their shoulders brushed as they kept their attention toward his courtyard.

* * *

Having finished their tea, Tatsumi offered to prepare Ruka a quick dinner and she agreed to stay longer. Confident in his cooking skills, he prepared a noodle dish with filling vegetables. From the sudden cold chill, he didn't want Ruka to catch a chill. Of course, they didn't fall ill, but the warmness brought comfort to their souls. A means of nostalgia in remembrance of once being alive.

Ruka complimented his cooking with a big smile on her face. She ate with gusto, almost resembling Tsuzuki in the way she enjoyed her food. He considered it a worthy compliment of high esteem. Ruka tended to cook most days of the week and ordered take out during special occasions.

In between bites of their food, Tatsumi commented. "I'm curious about your father." Tatsumi slurped down his noodles and sipped the broth.

Ruka tilted her head to the side. "I hardly knew the man. There's nothing much to say about him. Why the curiosity?"

"I have taken notice that you merely mention him through passing." Tatsumi said. "Unless, there is an unfortunate reason why you never speak about him."

Ruka shrugged her shoulders. "I only met my father once. I remember it so clearly. I mean...he was so _handsome_ and dressed _impeccably_ well. A bit _too_ well. My mother _fawned_ over him, but he felt detached to me. So cold and disinterested in my mother." Ruka rubbed the palms of her hands as she sighed. "And nine months later, Asato came into the world."

* * *

_"Dearest, you have returned!"_

_Ruka paused in sipping her bowl of miso soup when she heard her usual sad mother exclaim in happiness. Looking up from her lunch, she tried leaning to the side to look outside of the kitchen entrance. In the front of their small home, she saw her mother trying to kiss a tall man at the door. Confused, Ruka stood up from the floor, leaving her food to see the man for herself. _

_Standing beside the threshold, she had a clear picture of the man's appearance. Tall, dark, and handsome. His purple eyes gleamed despite being indoors and his face had no imperfections. A man whose appearance was far beyond the reach of anyone who lived in the low income area of their home. His clothing looked fine and expensive. _

_This man was her **father**._

_Trying to keep herself unnoticed, she backed away and peeked from around the wall. Despite wanting to meet her father, she felt self conscious of being seen in her old yukata. He might be the type to judge her because of his own rich looking clothes. _

_She heard their conversation from her spot. From their small house, no conversation was kept private. Her mother talked about her, listing everything that went right with her and her overall health. _

_"I see." The man's amethyst eyes bore into Ruka's soul as he stared right into her eyes. "She appears well. Strong. Healthy."_

_Kasumi's animated nod made Ruka cringe. Didn't her mother hurt from moving her head so hard? _

_"Oh yes, I make sure that Ruka is well fed and drinks various medicines to keep her healthy." Kasumi responded with a simpering smile. "I make use of all the money you have left to keep us living in stability, my love."_

_Ruka covered her frown rubbing her face with her hand and broke eye contact. Seeing her reserved and stern mother act in such a lovestruck way seemed wrong in her eyes. She was happy that her mother smiled, but she never directed it at her whenever she did **anything** right. Almost as if she wasn't as important as her father. _

_"Excellent. We cannot have our child die from living in **squalor**. Unlike the children in this district, she is of far greater importance. You have done well."_

_"Of course, it is as you wish, dearest." Kasumi clasped his arm and looked up at him with a tender expression. _

_This stranger, her father, declared. "Does...she have a friend to spend the night with? We have to become_—_reacquainted." _

_Ruka snapped her attention back to her father and shivered at the fact he kept **looking** at her. Being in his overall presence made her scared, she didn't know why her father made her feel this way. She was supposed to be happy to have met him. To have a face to her own father. _

_As she looked at him, her vision became shaky from her trembling. _

_Kasumi turned to Ruka and giggled. "Ruka, dear, you may have a sleepover with Sakura and Ume. Your father and I have to_—_spend the evening together." _

_Wanting nothing more than to leave her own home, Ruka nodded. "Yes, mother!" She turned away from the door and ran deeper into their home to her bedroom. Collecting a set of clothes, she used the side entrance of their home to prevent herself from speaking to her father and went to her friends house. _

* * *

_Overhearing her mother mutter in dismay at her **husband** missing the birth of Asato, Ruka kept her little brother cuddled to her chest. She wrapped her outer yukata around the bundle, causing her brother to burrow himself even closer to her warmth. Her mother didn't want to hold her son due to her distress. She wondered if this happened during **her** birth. She hoped not. _

_As she sat in the corner of her mother's room, she rocked Asato in her arms. Chiyo returned from taking the bloodied sheets out of her mother's room and carried a cup of a strength increasing tea in her hands. At least, that was what Chiyo told her when she left to prepare the tea for her mother. Chiyo placed the cup beside her mother's curled up form and encouraged her to drink. _

_Her mother kept on sobbing. _

_Seeing no use to insist, Chiyo stood back up from the floor and motioned Ruka to follow her out. Ruka curled Asato close to her body before she got up and left her mother's room. She winced at her mother's cries and looked down at her brother. He kept on sleeping. _

_Chiyo picked up her basket of herbs as told Ruka. "Now, I have to leave to attend to another new mother in the neighborhood. You will have to relinquish the child to your mother to establish contact. He will become hungry soon enough."_

_"Umm...I can keep holding him. I don't mind."_

_The herbalist sighed. "Ruka, trust me, the child will cry at any moment for his mother. Taking care of a newborn infant isn't an easy task. He will need to feed from your mother soon."_

_"Asato isn't fussy at all." Ruka maneuvered Asato into a better position. "It's just...mom doesn't want to hold him, Chiyo-san. I tried, but she keeps on crying that father didn't make it." _

_"Honestly, women have birthed children without their husbands since the beginning of time. Kasumi-san is being so childish, the boy **needs** her. She can't stay in bed crying over the man. She has to celebrate having a healthy child!" Chiyo tutted. "When is your father set to return home?"_

_Ruka thought about it before she shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know."_

_"Just great." Chiyo rubbed her temples, she couldn't in good conscience leave a little girl in charge of a baby. Despite having assisted girls as young as twelve give birth, Ruka was a ten year old, not old enough to have the patience for a squalling baby. The cuteness of babies left them once their crying tested **anyone's** patience._

_Ruka looked down at her feet. "Um...he hasn't come back since last season."_

_"Excuse me?" Chiyo snapped her head toward Ruka. "Your father hasn't come back?"_

_Ruka patted Asato's back and nodded her head. "No. He...just passed by one day, stayed the night, and I never saw him again." She kept her eyes on Asato so she didn't see the disbelief in Chiyo's eyes. "I know that he gives my mom money so she doesn't have to work."_

_The immediate assumption that came into Chiyo's mind was an affair. These children were byproducts of an affair between Kasumi and a nobleman. It made some semblance of sense once she thought about it. No one in the burrows **ever** saw this man and Kasumi together. Kasumi spoke grand tales about the man's handsomeness and his ability to provide for her family. _

_Yet, she didn't introduce her husband to anyone. Even the name Tsuzuki Daichi didn't provide results from the traveling merchants from their nearby village, no one had ever heard of the man._

_An alias no doubt._

_Keeping her initial opinions to herself, she sighed. "I shall bring Midori-san from next door. She gave birth six months ago and still produces milk. She will nurse Asato for today, and I shall come check in tomorrow morning."_

_Ruka pressed a kiss against Tsuzuki's cheek and nodded. "Yes, Chiyo-san."_

* * *

Once Ruka finished her recollection, Tatsumi laid his chopsticks on the stand on the table and said. "Did you try to find your father? Seemingly abandoning his family is horrid. He provided for you, but he never made an effort to raise his children."

Ruka used her spoon to fiddle with her noodle broth. "There was no point. He never left a trail and seemed to drop off the face of the Earth. I have to be honest, I made no real attempts to look for him." She sighed. "I think my mother regretted having fallen in love with him. She became bitter as the years passed on. Asato grew to look just like him, so she took out her frustrations on him. I had to defend him almost everyday because she lost control. Asato associates father with pain."

Tatsumi placed his hands on his lap as he commented. "I somewhat understand her spiral into depression and the evident repercussions. It's no wonder Tsuzuki doesn't speak of her often. In fact, he tends to ask me about _my_ mother and blocks my attempts in asking about her. Now, did your father ever return home?"

Ruka sighed. "No. I thought he would come back to see Asato, but he never made an appearance." Downing her bowl of broth, Ruka worried her lower lip. "Seiichiro-san, my father _scared_ me." She rubbed her hands together and laid them on her lap. "I was so glad when he never returned home. I don't know if my childhood perception warped his image, because he didn't say or do anything to hurt me. He just _stared_ at me."

"Does...eye contact bother you?"

Ruka shook her head. "No. Seiichiro-san, it was almost like he stared into my soul. Something about him made me fear for my life. Very few people have made me feel so _uncomfortable_." She leaned forward and confessed. "It compares to the feeling I had with_ Lord Enma_."

Tatsumi leaned close and muttered. "The same?" Ruka confirmed with a nod. "Are you sure?"

Ruka said. "_Yes_. Yes, Seiichiro-san."

A sequence of a ringing doorbell made the pair jump in their seats. Tatsumi stood on his feet, sighing at the interruption. He guessed the identity on their guest without much thought. He expected Tsuzuki to show up to visit his home. "Guess, Tsuzuki made it here after all."

Ruka mused. "I told you."

Tatsumi waited until Ruka stood up and left the kitchen. He lead the way to the front door, almost speed walking before Tsuzuki rung the doorbell again. He thought Tsuzuki might begin pressing the doorbell due to growing impatient. Then again, Kurosaki might stop him before he did such a thing.

Tatsumi slipped on his sandals before opening the front door. "Tsuzuki, Kurosaki."

"Ruka! Tatsumi! I'm here!" Tsuzuki greeted them at the door with a large bag in his arms. "I brought souvenirs and snacks!"

Hisoka stood next to Tsuzuki, his face stayed pristine and pale due to the sunhat he wore on his head. _Ruka's_ old sunhat. He whacked Tsuzuki's side with the palm of his hand and grumbled. "You're going to disturb Tatsumi-san's neighbors. Shut it."

"But, Hisoka! We _have_ to announce ourselves." Tsuzuki huffed. Looking toward Ruka, he saw a vulnerable expression on her face and his smile dropped. "Nee-san? Are you alright?"

Hisoka turned to Ruka and furrowed his brows. He felt a heavy manifestation of somberness covering Ruka's self. Hisoka grew accustomed to a serene and warm aura coming from Ruka that this feeling concerned him. Tatsumi exuded concern, but nothing to the extent of Ruka's body language.

Ruka blinked back her emotions before she showed a reassuring smile. "Oh, nothing. We just talked about some heavy stuff is all. Life in the living is never easy."

Tatsumi piped up before Tsuzuki or Hisoka fought her on the claim. "I'm sure you two are cold from traveling back from Okinawa. Come in. I'll prepare you some tea." He removed the bag from Tsuzuki's hands and lead them inside.

Tsuzuki commented. "You know, I will _never_ get used to seeing you in a yukata."

_**The end. **_


End file.
